General Conference Has a Message for Everyone

"The Savior always teaches timeless truths. They apply to people of every age and in any circumstance. His message was and is a message of hope and belonging—a testimony that God our Heavenly Father has not abandoned His children. That God is among us!  We should not be surprised to find that the Savior again teaches the core message of His gospel: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him.” He inspires us to seek God and live by the teachings He has revealed to His servants, the prophets. He teaches us to LOVE one another and to be “full of charity towards all men.” He invites us to be His hands, to go about doing good." 

-ELDER UCHTDORF

One theme from General Conference, that stood out to me, was the message of kindness towards everyone. It is definitely a message for everyone too. There were quite a few messages that resonated with topics that I have been pondering lately, such as teaching my children the WHY of the gospel and increasing family face time. I want to be more intentional about helping my family be successful. That is my job and it's not just going to happen on its own.

"Simple, caring conversations can lead children to know not only what they believe, but most important, why they believe it... Eternity is the wrong thing to be wrong about."

"Our decisions can likewise yield long-term advantages or disadvantages. As the Lord revealed, “If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” When others receive benefits because of their diligent choices, we cannot rightly conclude that we have been treated unfairly when we have had the same opportunity. 

How we deal with advantages and disadvantages is part of life’s test. We will be judged not so much by what we say but by HOW WE TREAT the vulnerable and disadvantaged. To try to see things with an eternal perspective can be clarifying. As we become more like the Savior, we develop more empathy, understanding, and charity." 

-ELDER RENLUND

"As we strive to follow Jesus Christ by serving and showing KINDNESS to others, we make the world a better place." 

-ELDER TEIXEIRA

"We need to recognize that knowing the Savior is the most important pursuit of our lives. It should take priority over anything else." 

-ELDER TEH 

"The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe...Every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith... To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort... Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest power available to us in this life... Truly, faith is the power that enables the unlikely to accomplish the impossible... Your flourishing faith will help you turn challenges into unparalleled growth and opportunity." 

-PRESIDENT NELSON

"Stated succinctly, a gospel principle is a doctrinally based guideline for the righteous exercise of moral agency. Principles derive from broader gospel truths and provide direction and standards as we press forward on the covenant path.

Learning, understanding, and living gospel principles strengthen our faith in the Savior, deepen our devotion to Him, and invite a multitude of blessings and spiritual gifts into our lives. Principles of righteousness also help us to look beyond our personal preferences and self-centered desires by providing the precious perspective of eternal truth as we navigate the different circumstances, challenges, decisions, and experiences of mortality. 

Parents and teachers could and should use their own judgment and inspiration to follow the guideline.

I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. 

President Nelson’s inspired questions, “Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life?”, emphasize a simple principle that provides direction in every aspect of our lives and enables us to govern ourselves." 

-ELDER BEDNAR

The other topic that has been on my mind lately is what Elder Bednar talked about in the benefit of following principles without being told exactly what to do and what not to do. He and Elder Oaks both referenced Joseph Smith's quote, "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves." General authorities give us counsel and guidelines, but we get to pray and ask for a witness from God about how we should each practice the principles. That is why we need to recognize how we receive personal revelation.

Members should also understand the differences between doctrine, policy, tradition and myth. I liked listening to Zandra Vranes explanation. 1. Doctrine is essential for salvation. The teachings of Jesus Christ that we base our testimonies on. They do not change. 2. Policy is a rule that is enforceable in the Church. They change all the time and are meant to support doctrine, but don't always have a spiritual reason. Sometimes they are simply in place for risk management, economic reasons, cultural reasons, traditional reasons, or logistical reasons. If you found your testimony on policies you will get testimony whiplash, especially if you're trying to make up a God reason for doing something that doesn't actually have a God reason. 3. Tradition and culture is not enforceable and not vital for salvation. 4. Myths are rumors that get passed around as if they are true, when they aren't, such as Satan controlling the water for example.

Al Carraway recently got ripped apart for posting about how the phrase "church culture" makes her cringe. To be honest I feel the same way, but I probably will fail to adequately explain why. Mostly I feel like it's a catch all for anything that members want to justify doing that the Church counsels us not to do. We either want approval from members to do something anyway or we want to blame hurtful practices and comments on the Church that are not Church teachings in the first place. Anyone should just feel free to live the way they choose to live without trying to get approval from the Church. Connect with what resonates with you and set your own boundaries for the rest. Figure out your why.  

Cali Black touched on it this week as well. D&C 37:4 "Let every man choose for himself." Yes, the Lord gives commandments, the Church gives guidelines, the Prophet gives challenges, and the Bishop gives callings, but we always get to choose for ourself. Agency is an essential principle of the gospel. You need to receive your own spiritual confirmations and personal revelations to implement and live the gospel the way that best serves you, who you want to be and the relationship you have with Heavenly Father. 

You get to choose. Let people choose.